Splitting the Money

The morning after the battle with the Heaven-Swallowing Python, the Thunder Blade Squad left the hotel rooftop where they had fought all night.

Lin Zheng's prosthetic limb had been completely destroyed in the battle, and he now had to rely on a makeshift wooden staff to support his walking. Liu Xu was in even worse shape; she had three fractured ribs, a hairline fracture in her left arm, and varying degrees of internal organ damage—if she hadn't gritted her teeth and spent a fortune to upgrade her inner armor to a 9-Series high-end model before setting out, that tail strike would have been enough to kill her. Even so, she could only lie on a stretcher now, carried by Leng Bao and Shen Yang in turns.

"Back to the supply base." Lin Zheng stood on the rooftop, looking at the rising sun, his tone brooking no argument. "We'll heal up and process the materials first. Once Liu Xu can move, we'll return to Yangzhou."

No one objected.

The journey back was much slower than the trip there. The group moved slowly along the road by the canal, with Lin Zheng leaning on his wooden staff in the lead, Leng Bao and Shen Yang carrying Liu Xu's stretcher in the middle, Luo Fang responsible for guarding the flanks, and Lin Yun bringing up the rear, nine flying daggers flickering in and out of sight around him as his spiritual force maintained a maximum-range perimeter.

Fortunately, the aura of the Heaven-Swallowing Python still lingered, so the monsters along the way had long since fled, and they encountered almost no trouble on the journey.

By evening, the tall towers of the supply base finally appeared in their field of vision.

"Lighting the way home for us warriors." Lin Yun looked at the tower, that thought rising in his heart once again.

The base guards recognized them, and upon seeing Liu Xu on the stretcher and the blood-soaked Lin Zheng, they quickly opened the gates. A medical vehicle was already waiting at the entrance—Lin Zheng had contacted the Limit Dojo office at the base while on the road.

Liu Xu was rushed into the medical room, while Lin Zheng stood at the door, leaning on his staff, motionless. His prosthetic limb had fallen off, and his empty pant leg swayed gently in the wind, but he was completely unaware of it.

"Captain, your leg..." Luo Fang spoke up cautiously.

"It's nothing," Lin Zheng said, his gaze still fixed on the door of the medical room.

Luo Fang and Leng Bao exchanged a glance and said nothing more. They knew that in the past three years, Lin Zheng had never been as anxious about anyone as he was today.

Half an hour later, the medical room door opened. The attending physician walked out and removed his mask: "The patient is not in life-threatening danger. The fractures in her ribs and left arm have been treated with periosteal repair technology, and the internal organ damage has been stabilized. She needs to rest for a month and must not engage in strenuous activity during this time."

Lin Zheng's body swayed slightly, as if a taut string had suddenly gone slack.

"Thank you, doctor," he said, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"Captain Lin, your prosthetic..." The doctor glanced at his empty pant leg.

"Help me order a new one, the best available," Lin Zheng said. "Money is no object."

The doctor nodded and pushed the cart away.

Over the next few days, the Thunder Blade Squad settled into the supply base.

Liu Xu stayed in a ward in the medical room, receiving treatment and rehabilitation training every day. Lin Zheng stayed by her side almost constantly; he ate beside her, handled affairs beside her, and even slept on the sofa in the ward at night. His new prosthetic arrived three days later; it was the latest alloy model, with flexibility and load-bearing capacity far exceeding the one he had used before.

"You don't have to watch over me every day," Liu Xu said, leaning against the hospital bed and looking at Lin Zheng by the window, her voice very soft.

"I want to," Lin Zheng said, without turning back.

Liu Xu's eyes reddened, and she said nothing more.

The other team members were not idle either. Shen Yang spent a large amount of time every day processing the mountain of monster materials—skinning, deboning, sorting, and packing; no step could be taken lightly. Leng Bao and Luo Fang helped him, and the three of them were kept busy in the supply base warehouse.

Lin Yun, meanwhile, locked himself in his room to digest the gains from this battle.

He had already mastered the first stage of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, but he was still far from being able to use it "as naturally as breathing." Every day, he practiced his force-generating techniques in his room, over and over, until his arms were too sore to lift.

More importantly, there was his insight into soul attacks.

That day at the bottom of West Lake, he had used a soul attack derived from his understanding of the death law to severely injure the Heaven-Swallowing Python. Although the effect was significant, the consumption was shockingly high—his spiritual force had been almost completely drained, and his soul had suffered a not-insignificant shock. If his soul hadn't been tempered by three lifetimes of accumulation and the small cauldron, that single strike would have been enough to turn him into an idiot.

"Soul attacks cannot be used as a standard tactic," Lin Yun concluded in his heart. "My understanding of the death law is too shallow, and the consumption of using a soul attack is too great, with risks that are too high. It can only be used in life-or-death situations."

A week later, Liu Xu was discharged.

Her fractures had mostly healed, and the cast on her left arm had been removed. Although she still couldn't engage in strenuous exercise, she had no problems walking, eating, or handling simple tasks.

"The materials are all processed." Shen Yang held a "debriefing" in the lobby on the first floor of the A6 building, a long list of numbers on the laptop in front of him. "It's time to sell."

Lin Zheng nodded: "Contact the Limit Dojo and have them send someone to collect the goods."

"Already done," Shen Yang chuckled. "Manager Zhao will be here this afternoon."

That afternoon, Manager Zhao from the Limit Dojo office at the supply base arrived at the A6 building in person with a transport vehicle. He and Lin Zheng were old acquaintances, but upon seeing the boxes of neatly stacked materials in the warehouse, he couldn't help but gasp.

"Captain Lin, did you... wipe out a Beast General nest this time?" Manager Zhao squatted on the ground, flipping through the materials in the boxes, his eyes wide.

"Just about," Lin Zheng said, standing to the side leaning on his crutches, his tone flat. "Take an inventory and give me a quote."

It took Manager Zhao a full two hours to finish counting all the materials. He closed his ledger, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and recited the figures.

"Primary Beast General level monster materials, fifty-three in total. Steel-Bristled Wild Boar, Split-Horn Savage Bull, Mutated Water Python, Shadow Leopard, Mutant Mastiff... adding all the various materials together, the total value is 530 million."

"Intermediate Beast General level monster materials, thirty-one in total. Mostly Iron-Backed Porcupine, Mutated Water Python, Shadow Leopard, Mutated Alligator Snapping Turtle, and so on. The total value of the materials is 1.52 billion."

"High-Level Beast General level monster materials, eight in total. Two Saber-Toothed Tigers, three Iron-Backed Mastiffs, two Mutated Water Pythons, one Shadow Leopard. The total value of the materials is 2.01 billion."

"Plus three Mutant Mastiff eggs, in perfect condition with high vitality. According to market price, 50 million each, totaling 150 million."

Manager Zhao looked up and took a deep breath: "The total for the ordinary Beast General materials is 4.21 billion."

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room. 4.21 billion—and that was just the harvest from the ordinary Beast Generals.

"And then there is..." Manager Zhao's voice carried a hint of trembling, "the High-Level Lord Rank Heaven-Swallowing Python. Scales, snake skin, gallbladder, fangs, skeleton, all intact. Captain Lin, how did you kill this snake? It's a High-Level Lord Rank; there are only a few people in the entire Jiangnan Base City who could do that."

Lin Zheng did not answer the question, only saying coldly: "The quote."

Manager Zhao wisely stopped asking, opening another ledger: "For the Heaven-Swallowing Python materials, our Limit Dojo can offer 10 billion. But we are old acquaintances, and while I would love to make this deal, I suggest you sell it to the HR Alliance. They have a greater demand for High-Level Lord Rank materials, and the price will be at least 20 percent higher."

"Then we'll sell to the HR Alliance," Lin Zheng said. "Help us contact them."

"Fine." Manager Zhao nodded. "We'll store the Heaven-Swallowing Python materials in our warehouse for now and hand them over once the HR Alliance representatives arrive. The payment for the common beast generals will be transferred today."

That same evening, 4.21 billion was deposited into the Thunder Blade Squad's joint account.

Shen Yang held the "money-splitting meeting" in the lobby on the first floor of the A6 villa. Liu Xu sat on the sofa, still wrapped in bandages, but in high spirits. Lin Zheng sat beside her; his new prosthetic limb had been calibrated, and he could walk without any obvious issues. Leng Bao and Luo Fang sat opposite them, Shen Yang sat before his laptop, and Lin Yun leaned against the window.

"Common beast general materials: 4.21 billion," Shen Yang cleared his throat. "We'll split it according to the old rules. The captain gets thirty percent, 1.26 billion. Sister Liu gets twenty percent, 840 million. Lin Yun gets twenty percent, 840 million. The remaining thirty percent, 1.26 billion, will be split equally between me, Luo Fang, and Leng Bao—420 million each."

As the numbers were announced, everyone's face lit up with a smile. This was only the harvest from the common beast generals; the massive payout for the Heaven-Swallowing Python hadn't even been calculated yet.

Three days later, the HR Alliance representatives arrived.

The man who came was in his forties, wearing a crisp black suit and gold-rimmed glasses; he looked like a shrewd businessman at first glance. He brought two assistants and spent an entire morning in the warehouse carefully inspecting the Heaven-Swallowing Python materials.

"The condition is perfect, the scales are undamaged, the snake gall is highly potent, and the snake skin is of top-tier quality." The man closed his folder and adjusted his glasses. "12 billion. This is the final offer from our HR Alliance."

Lin Zheng glanced at Lin Yun. Lin Yun nodded slightly.

"Deal," Lin Zheng said.

12 billion, transferred that same day.

Back at the A6 villa, the second money-splitting meeting began. This time, the atmosphere was much more heated than before.

"Heaven-Swallowing Python materials: 12 billion." Shen Yang's voice was trembling. "According to the plan set by the captain earlier, Lin Yun takes eighty percent—9.6 billion. The remaining twenty percent, 2.4 billion, will be split equally among the five of us—480 million each." This was the squad's rule; even though Lin Yun contributed the most, as a team, he made sure everyone got a share. Lin Zheng had always done this in the past, and Lin Yun had no objections—after all, the Magical Plant was the real prize!

He took a deep breath and announced the final totals.

"Captain: 1.26 billion from the common beast generals plus 480 million, for a total of 1.74 billion."

"Sister Liu: 840 million plus 480 million, for a total of 1.32 billion."

"Lin Yun: 840 million plus 9.6 billion, for a total of 10.44 billion."

"Me: 420 million plus 480 million, for a total of 900 million."

"Luo Fang: 420 million plus 480 million, for a total of 900 million."

"Leng Bao: 420 million plus 480 million, for a total of 900 million."

After reading the final number, Shen Yang leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. "Money split complete."

The meeting room remained silent for a long time.

Luo Fang looked at the string of numbers next to her name on the screen, her eyes turning slightly red. "This is the first time I've earned so much money at once." As a Junior War General, her previous hunts would net her at most 300 to 400 million, but her expenses were also high, whether for combat suits or daily cultivation.

Leng Bao didn't speak, but his hand holding the teacup was trembling slightly.

Liu Xu looked down at her knees, a faint smile on her lips. Lin Zheng sat beside her, his gaze resting on her with an indescribable emotion—no longer avoiding her, no longer feeling inferior, but a calm, relieved tenderness.

Lin Yun leaned back in his chair, looking at the "10.44 billion" on the screen, feeling surprisingly calm. In the Coiling Dragon World, he still had nearly a million gold coins left by Morton in his Space Ring. But that money had fallen from the sky; this money was different—it was earned with his life, every cent carrying the chill of the West Lake floor and the stench of the Heaven-Swallowing Python's blood.

"Oh, right, there's also the contribution points," Shen Yang added. "Based on the Limit Dojo standards for the common beast general materials, Lin Yun received over 100,000 points, reaching Two-Star Rank."

Lin Yun nodded slightly. Two-Star Rank, 100,000 points. This meant that in the future, when buying items at the Limit Home, he would enjoy a fifty percent discount—a much greater benefit than before.

"Everyone else's contribution points have also reached Two-Star Rank." Shen Yang closed his laptop. "Captain, when are we heading back to Yangzhou?"

Lin Zheng looked at Liu Xu. "Wait another week, until Liu Xu's injuries heal a bit more. Then—we go home."

A week later, the Thunder Blade Squad took the train back to Jiangnan Base City.

At the entrance of the Bright Moon Residential District, the group prepared to go their separate ways. Lin Zheng stood in the sunset, leaning on his cane, his gaze sweeping over each person.

"Rest for a month," he said. "Liu Xu needs to recover, and you all should take time to process this harvest. We set out again in a month."

"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.

Lin Yun turned and walked toward his home. After a few steps, he looked back—Lin Zheng and Liu Xu were standing side by side in the sunset, their shadows finally merging into one. Liu Xu's hand rested gently on Lin Zheng's arm, and Lin Zheng did not pull away.

Lin Yun smiled and quickened his pace.

The lights in the villa were still on.

Pushing open the door, the aroma of Braised Pork Belly wafted out. His grandfather, Lin Guodong, sat on the sofa, clutching his phone as if hesitating whether to make a call. Hearing the door, the old man stood up abruptly and hurried over.

"Yun'er!" Lin Guodong looked his grandson up and down, and upon confirming he wasn't injured, his eyes turned red. "Why were you gone so long? Didn't you say half a month? It's been almost a month!"

"Grandpa, I'm fine." Lin Yun hugged the old man with a smile. "I stayed a few extra days to earn a bit more money."

"Money doesn't matter, as long as you're safe." Lin Guodong took his hand and pulled him to the dining table. "Eat quickly, the food is getting cold. I'll heat it up for you."

"No need, Grandpa, it's fine cold."

Lin Yun sat down and ate heartily. Braised Pork Belly, Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Steamed Sea Bass, Garlic Vegetables—everything he loved. His grandfather sat opposite him, watching him eat, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out.

After dinner, Lin Yun went upstairs to his room.

He closed the door and took the sealed box from his Space Ring, placing it on the table. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the emerald-green plant. The six leaves emitted a faint glow in the darkness, and the red fruit in the center looked like a solidified spark, quietly waiting for something.

Lin Yun stared at it for a long time.

He didn't know what it was, but he could feel that the energy contained within this fruit was more vast and pure than any Crystal Core he had ever absorbed. The Heaven-Swallowing Python had been desperate to return to that spot even while severely wounded; it must have been because this fruit could enhance its strength or heal its injuries, meaning its value far exceeded 12 billion.

"I need to find a way to figure out what this is," Lin Yun muttered.

He carefully put the sealed box back into his Space Ring. Then, he sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes.

He shifted his consciousness to the Coiling Dragon World.

In the small woods behind the Ernst Institute, his other body sat cross-legged on a bluestone, moonlight spilling over his shoulders as the surrounding magic elements flowed quietly; memories from two worlds converged in his mind, and every detail of the battle against the Heaven-Swallowing Python remained vivid.

Insights into Soul Attack, fragments of the Death Law, the aura of that mysterious plant—all these things settled deep within his consciousness, waiting to be digested and understood.

Lin Yun opened his eyes.

10.4 billion, the second layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade. And that unknown plant.

The gains from this time far exceeded his expectations.

But the road ahead was still long; War God, Planetary Level, Universe Level... the path he had to walk had only just begun.